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Continuing Story of My 37 L-0 Neck Set....


BluesKing777

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Replacing a brand decal / silkscreen because the original has been lost is fine - it's clearly a Gibson guitar and all your're doing is restoring it. Although not strictly authentic you'd probably want to veneer the headstock to hide the pearl work. Would you go for white '30s style?

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Replacing a brand decal / silkscreen because the original has been lost is fine - it's clearly a Gibson guitar and all your're doing is restoring it. Although not strictly authentic you'd probably want to veneer the headstock to hide the pearl work. Would you go for white '30s style?

 

 

Thanks Jayyj....

 

I guess standard white 30s style, after the bits are removed, filled and possibly a rosewood veneer plate put on?

 

 

BluesKing777.

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You already sound like an expectant father getting set to pace the halls, BK. You're gonna love it!

 

That $400 reset price I quoted IS a rarity, by the way. I'm just lucky that the Mom and Pop music shop here rolls that way to accomodate a rural, poorer community. Just an hour and a half away I could hand it over to another serious pro, Steven Kovacik, for what surely would run 6-8 hundred.

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Thanks Jayyj....

 

I guess standard white 30s style, after the bits are removed, filled and possibly a rosewood veneer plate put on?

 

 

BluesKing777.

 

The veneer overlay does not have to be rosewood, since it should be sprayed black before putting on the logo. The peg head inlays don't necessarily have to be removed/filled if you use a veneer overlay.

 

Here is a link to a sequence of photos showing the restoration of a peg head in worse shape than yours. No overlay was used on the face of the peg head. There is a chance the filled in slots will show through the lacquer in future years.

 

http://www.firestripepickguards.com/?page_id=1116

 

James

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Yeah, you could easily go with holly and spray it black for a later Gibson effect. Or, since you've already gone off piste with the Ebony board an Ebony head plate with an inlayed Advanced Jumbo / Nick Lucas style inlay might look interesting. I'd just go with a thin as possible painted veneer and the white sickscreen myself, or keep the current look as a reminder of where the guitar came from.

 

Is the choice of Ebony board a personal preference? I don't mean it as a criticism - the guitar has clearly deviated far enough from original that I doubt it affects the value very much what you go for so whatever works for you is the best option, but I think if it were me I'd want to restore it to the original Brazilian RW.

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The veneer overlay does not have to be rosewood, since it should be sprayed black before putting on the logo. The peg head inlays don't necessarily have to be removed/filled if you use a veneer overlay.

 

Here is a link to a sequence of photos showing the restoration of a peg head in worse shape than yours. No overlay was used on the face of the peg head. There is a chance the filled in slots will show through the lacquer in future years.

 

http://www.firestripepickguards.com/?page_id=1116

 

James

 

 

Thanks for the photo sequence!

 

That shows a LOT more work than I imagined.

 

I will get the guitar back and play it and...see where we are, I guess.

 

 

And he suggested ebony because he has some nice pieces and I like ebony, but also thought someone here told me that some L-0s could have had ebony....

 

I will ask him again when I get the LG1 back soon.

 

 

BluesKing777.

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I don't think I've ever come across ebony on an L0 or 00. The early L1s with the small body had Ebony, although this changed prior to the body style changing - my '29 TG1 has a BRW board. The earliest L0s apparently had a black stained board, although I've never seen one in the flesh.

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No...those are symptoms of missing cocktail hour. When I send a guitar to the doctor I just stare at the empty hanger.

 

How long is the fix to take? Any idea?

 

 

Ha yeah, JZ,

 

I haven't had a cocktail since that truly dreadful .........Manhattan with triple ingredient .......etc etc.

 

 

2 empty hangers/rack spaces here like missing teeth/car wheel/demolished building...

 

 

LG1 is ready tomorrow with new bridge, but it also needs neck set ( ain't happening).

 

He said he made a fretboard for the L-0.

 

 

BluesKing777.

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2 empty hangers/rack spaces here like missing teeth/car wheel/demolished building...

 

 

LG1 is ready tomorrow with new bridge, but it also needs neck set ( ain't happening).

 

 

 

BluesKing777.

 

 

Only ONE empty hanger now - I have my 1952 Gibson LG1 back with a new bridge, saddle, strings, setup and intonation, pickup re-fitted and a few frets filed.

 

It sounds sensational and I just wasn't expecting this!

 

I thought it would be worse than before but with the split bridge fixed, but NO - the guy just goes the extra mile, plus waved his magic wand over it! (it still needs a dozen jobs and a neck set, but I didn't think it was worth it and now...I need to reconsider). It is a lot of money, but it sounds great now. He set it to 'playable around the cowboy chords end', so I could do slide and a few fretted notes.....

 

I will get the 37 L-0 back and think about it - a few more weeks for that guitar.

 

It would be good to get a few other tradies to do that with little tasks they get allotted, instead of only just getting a job done halfheartledly.......

 

 

But we have new faith in human nature today!

 

 

 

BluesKing777.

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Here are a few photos of the 52 LG1 for those interested (note: not L-0 yet!)...

 

 

Straight back from Santa's Cave with a new ebony bridge (from the same piece of ebony for my L-0 neck).

 

Because it needs a neck reset he ramped the bridge to give it a bit more angle for me to play a few chords, but it is mainly for slide. Sliver of bone nut to replace the original nylonish thing...

 

I didn't notice that I have skin and dust and of course dog hair over it already!

 

 

 

 

LG1-Bridge1a_zps1a41dc13.jpg

 

 

LG1-Bridge1b_zps7f4ce9f3.jpg

 

 

LG1-Bridge1c_zps8fc76c01.jpg

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That's real pretty, but man, he really sunk that saddle down in there!

 

 

Thanks JZ.

 

I like to think it is a "Bridge Over Troubled Water"...and don't ask me to play THAT on it!

 

 

He rang me and asked if I was just using it for slide only, and I replied...'err aahhhh ooh oh errhhh um uuuum..err, it would be good to play a few chords ala RJ as well as slide!'

 

So back to the saddle shaver he went, till it worked. It is pretty good with my Shubb capo at 2nd too.

 

But the sound.....I'll try and record a few riffs in a minute.

 

 

 

BluesKing777.

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  • 3 weeks later...

You already sound like an expectant father getting set to pace the halls, BK.

 

 

 

Update a month later....no baby yet.....carpet has a track worn in it, JZ!

 

 

 

It must be close to arrival, but I don't want to harass the luthier....just yet! (I do have plenty of spare geetars, I suppose).

 

 

 

BluesKing777.

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Update a month later....no baby yet.....carpet has a track worn in it, JZ!

 

BluesKing777.

That's nice looking ebony, probably worth the wait... and the pacing... and the waiting... and the sleepless nights... and... don't forget about the rest of us sitting on the edge of our seats here...

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Reading your saga moved me to finally drop my L0 off, leaving me with just my L00, a lap slide, and the electric to play. It might take me a freekin' year to put away the cash for my next 'NGD'.

Magic Dan told me there were a few things going on with it as he thought the bellying, which I thought was subtle, wasn't so subtle. That seems to explain why the hack who cut through the X just below the hole glued in a piece of cove mould. I asked him to go ahead and take it all on, and mentioned that I'd like to get a new, taller piece of bone to increase the break angle, hoping for a little more pop in the top. The bridge is starting to lift in the corners so that's coming off, as well as the back to get at the bracing.

 

Dan is not only a fine mechanical luthier, but he's also got the finishing restoration skills to make scars disappear. He plays a nice old J-50 and has the good singing voice to go with it. He handed me the estimate for the reset and bridge re-attachment...$235.00. It might end up costing nearly $400 with the brace repairs and saddle thrown in. I hesitated to reveal this info as I feared a run on my shop's repair bench, but I then had the idea to ask forum members to ship me all their injured guitars and I could run them down to Dan. My only requirement would be that I get a 30 day trial period to make sure the repairs are solid. Please pack them well and use the PO, not UPS.

 

I'll resist nagging him, under the circumstances.It's only been two days.

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That's nice looking ebony, probably worth the wait... and the pacing... and the waiting... and the sleepless nights... and... don't forget about the rest of us sitting on the edge of our seats here...

 

 

Thanks Dan.

 

 

Pacing, sleepless nights.....what if it's twins?

 

 

 

BluesKing777.

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